Along with North Carolina citizens, the school’s athletic teams are referred to as the North Carolina Tar Heels, but what exactly is a tar heel? There are two possible origins. The first: during the revolutionary war, British troops found their feet covered with tar after crossing North Carolina rivers. A product of North Carolina’s pine trees, tar became one of the state’s most important exports. The second stems from the Civil War when North Carolina soldiers threatened to stick tar on the heels of retreating soldiers to make them stay in battle. General Robert E. Lee is said to have commented, “God bless the Tar Heel boys!” Source

The Carolina-Duke rivalry—most notable in men’s college basketball—is considered one of the fiercest sports rivalries. An ESPN poll conducted in 2000 ranked the basketball rivalry as the third greatest in North American sports and Sports Illustrated has named it the #1 “Hottest Rivalry” in college basketball. Source.

• Color: Carolina Blue and White
• Mascot: Rameses
• Admit Rate: 21.9% (Class of 2022). Read more